About Me and My Background
I have continued to travel around the world as an adult, working in strange countries and foreign lands.
I enjoy writing, cryptography, and the outdoors. I have been in Law Enforcement, as a patrol officer and as a developer of computer software for various County, State, and Federal agencies. I also have written many computer software applications for Fortune 500 companies including a few multi-national ones.
I like researching on the Internet, to learn more about espionage and Intelligence work. I have a collection of books on espionage and enjoy reading them. I love learning the tradecraft of some of the best agents in the world.
Lately I have been writing computer programs that relate to computer security and web site security. I also have been writing spider programs that collect and analyze information from various web sites.
My pen name is BLAIR, Eric. It is the real name of my favorite author.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
This is where I tried to answer the most frequently asked questions about the book, the web site, and my family.
Q: Why did you write this book?
A: Because I felt that most espionage books concentrated on the primary agent and never dealt with the family of the agent, the interaction of the family, and the effects that the work had on all of them.
Q: Did you ever work for any Intelligence agency?
A: No, I based my book on my own observations. I never used any classified documents to create my working draft. If I wrote about a sensitive subject, I edited out anything that could be considered not for public dissemination or was not already known in the public domain.
This is where I tried to answer the most frequently asked questions about the book, the web site, and my family.
Q: Why did you write this book?
A: Because I felt that most espionage books concentrated on the primary agent and never dealt with the family of the agent, the interaction of the family, and the effects that the work had on all of them.
Q: Did you ever work for any Intelligence agency?
A: No, I based my book on my own observations. I never used any classified documents to create my working draft. If I wrote about a sensitive subject, I edited out anything that could be considered not for public dissemination or was not already known in the public domain.
Background on Father
Background Information on my CIA Father
This book is a tribute to my Father and Mother's dedication to preserving our way of life through their service in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
As it turns out, my Mother also worked for the CIA, as a secretary and cable writer (early type of email) in Vientiane Laos.
My Father joined the Marines, graduated from law school, and then served with the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) as a United States Treasury Federal Agent chasing bootleggers and conducting surveillance of mobsters. Then he joined the CIA during a very turbulent time of our history when Soviet and Chinese threats were all about. Because of his previous training and interest in electronics and lock picking, he was assigned to CIA/TSD, or Technical Services Division, which did most of the stuff like “Q” did in the James Bond™ movies. This included providing espionage equipment and tradecraft services that were required from CIA Stations all over the world. We lived in Fairfax Virginia, Frankfurt Germany, Vientiane Laos, and Rome Italy during his CIA career. My father traveled to all five continents, applying his expertise, and when he retired he wrote a fictional book about two CIA agents.
This book is a tribute to my Father and Mother's dedication to preserving our way of life through their service in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
As it turns out, my Mother also worked for the CIA, as a secretary and cable writer (early type of email) in Vientiane Laos.
My Father joined the Marines, graduated from law school, and then served with the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) as a United States Treasury Federal Agent chasing bootleggers and conducting surveillance of mobsters. Then he joined the CIA during a very turbulent time of our history when Soviet and Chinese threats were all about. Because of his previous training and interest in electronics and lock picking, he was assigned to CIA/TSD, or Technical Services Division, which did most of the stuff like “Q” did in the James Bond™ movies. This included providing espionage equipment and tradecraft services that were required from CIA Stations all over the world. We lived in Fairfax Virginia, Frankfurt Germany, Vientiane Laos, and Rome Italy during his CIA career. My father traveled to all five continents, applying his expertise, and when he retired he wrote a fictional book about two CIA agents.
Glossary
Glossary
This is where I attempt to define much of the slang and abbreviations that I use in the book. Most of the slang is commonly used in the Intelligence field.
Air America (AA) - An airline front company for the CIA.
AA took over the task from CAT of supplying materials and transporting "special" passengers in Laos during the Secret War.
Air America Homepage
Agency, The - Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
A common slang word used when talking with other Intelligence agents.
Back Stop - A very plausible job, telephone number, or address.
When a pseudonym for an agent is created, sometimes a back stopped identity has to be created. If an enemy agent suspects the agent's background and he checks on where he works, the back stop will be good enough to fool him into thinking that his suspicions were false.
Cable from Station in Laos
Cable - A secure message.
Before there was email, the CIA used cables to communicate between Stations and HQ. Cables were condensed and concise messages, sort of like telegrams, where you are concerned about using too many words.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - The government agency responsible for overseas Intelligence gathering using Human Intelligence (HUMINT) and sometimes Electronic Intelligence (ELINT).
Central Intelligence Agency
Civil Air Transport (CAT) - An airline front company for the CIA.
The predecessor to Air America (AA) in Laos.
Code Name - Alias for an agent
Similar to an pseudonym, a code name is an alias for an agent. Code names were used when the pseudonym is not to be revealed. The double agent FBI man Robert Hanssen's code name was "Ramon". When he communicated with his KGB handlers, "Ramon" was what he was known as. Also known as Cover Name.
Company, The - Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
A common slang word used when talking around non Intelligence agents.
Cover Story - A semi plausible story to protect the true identify of the agent.
A typical cover story for an agent traveling overseas is that he is working for a company that sells electronic parts.
Forward Air Controller (FAC) - A spotter in a forward area.
They loitered in the area of the enemy, sometimes marking it with flare rockets if the FAC is airborne, so that fighters and bombers could hit their targets accurately. A highly dangerous job, especially considering that the Ravens used low and slow propeller driven aircraft.
Front Company - A legitimate company to conceal Intelligence activities.
One of the more famous front companies was Air America (AA), which at its height in Laos was the largest private airline in the world. Intelligence agencies use front companies to help provide personnel and material support to a secret operation without drawing attention to itself.
Ho Chi Minh Trail (HCMT) - A large number of trails and roads that the Communists used to supply their war effort and infiltrate.
The word trail is actually a misnomer, since the HCMT was a large network of paths, roads, and trails. The HCMT started in North Vietnam (NVN) and winded through Laos and Cambodia and into South Vietnam (SVN).
Laos - A country in Southeast Asia (SEA)
Laos is a land locked, poor country that was a springboard for CIA operations during the Vietnam War.
Map of Laos pre 1974
Merc - Short for Mercenary
A non-military person that is for hire, and that specializes in hazardous assignments. Also known as a Contractor. Usually has a military background, especially with some type of Special Forces, like Army Rangers, Green Berets, Airborne, Air Commandos, Navy SEALS, or Marine RECON. Mercenaries that were used in Laos came from a wide range of countries in SEA.
Microdot - A miniature picture the size of the head of a pin.
Microdots are shrunken pictures that can be transported underneath a postage stamp on a letter. The agent receiving the microdots has a microdot viewer that enlarges the picture so that it is readable. Microdots can also be hidden in-between the layers of a book binding and any where else that one can imagine.
Microdot Viewer
Microfilm - Very small picture film.
Microfilm can be used in miniature cameras and easily transported or concealed. A Minox is a type of microfilm camera.
Minox Camera
National Security Agency (NSA) - The government agency tasked with making codes, breaking foreign government codes, and intercepting Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Photographic Intelligence (PHOTINT), and Communications Intelligence (COMINT) overseas. The technical term for codes is cryptography. They are also involved in Information Systems Security (INFOSEC), to help protect U.S. government computer systems from foreign governments.
National Security Agency
NVA - North Vietnamese Army
The formal Communist forces of North Vietnam. They had actual uniforms and had formal military formations and training. This is in contrast to the VC which did not have official uniforms and formations.
NVN - North Vietnam
PL - Pathet Lao
The Communist Laotians who fought against the CIA and American friendly forces. Contrary to what you read on the Internet, The PL did not win the war in Laos, they took over by default after we withdrew at the end of the Vietnam war.
Pseudonym - A fake name and identity
When an agent is in the field, many times he has one or more pseudonyms that he uses. A pseudonym within the Intelligence world is written LAST NAME, first name, with the last name in all caps. The reason for this is that when you are reading a document that has names in it, you know if it is a true name or a pseudonym.
Ravens, The - An unofficial group of pilots that served in Laos
They flew high risk missions in Laos to rescue downed pilots of AA and CAT, do surveillance of the HCMT, and acted as Forward Air Controllers (FAC) so that fighters and bombers could hit their targets accurately. All the members of the Ravens were sheep dipped, for plausible deniability.
Raven FAC Homepage
SEA - Southeast Asia
Includes Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia.
Secret War - The undeclared war in Laos
The so called "Secret War" in Laos was the CIA's attempt to disrupt and harass the PL, NVA, and VC.
Secret War in Laos
Secret Writing - Methods of concealing messages in plain sight
Agents in the field use secret writing to communicate with other agents. Typically secret writing uses some sort of gimmick to conceal the message, like an invisible ink. The hidden message is written in the margins of an ordinary letter and then sent to the agent of choice. The receiving agent has a chemical that he wipes on the letter to reveal the secret message.
Sheep Dipped - Change of job or duties
Sometimes agents change jobs to other non-intelligence agencies or military assignments so that they cannot be traced back to their source agency.
Spook - Intelligence agent.
Any intelligence agent like a CIA agent.
Sterilized - Non traceable back to the source agency.
Many times weapons and airplanes have their serial numbers removed or paperwork "lost" so that they are not traceable back to the source agency. The CIA also purchased material from the open market using front companies so that it could not be traced back.
SVN - South Vietnam
Tradecraft - The methods and techniques of Intelligence agents.
For example, surveillance of an enemy agent is a tradecraft.
True Name - The actual real name of the agent
True names are a closely guarded secret and therefore pseudonyms and code names are used extensively to protect it. It is standard procedure to never write the true name and the pseudonym or and code name in the same message or memo. This is done in case an enemy agency intercepts and decodes the message, they will not be able to connect the dots unless they have both messages.
TSD - Technical Services Division of the CIA
The division of the CIA that created many of the gadgets for field agents.
VC - Viet Cong
The irregular Communist forces in and around Vietnam. Many wore black pajamas and operated only at night. This contrasts with the NVA which had uniforms and operated like a formal army. Many of the VC were farmers during the day, and then conducted military raids during the night. The movies blur the line between VC and NVA, but they were very different in how they operated but with the same objective.
This is where I attempt to define much of the slang and abbreviations that I use in the book. Most of the slang is commonly used in the Intelligence field.
Air America (AA) - An airline front company for the CIA.
AA took over the task from CAT of supplying materials and transporting "special" passengers in Laos during the Secret War.
Air America Homepage
Agency, The - Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
A common slang word used when talking with other Intelligence agents.
Back Stop - A very plausible job, telephone number, or address.
When a pseudonym for an agent is created, sometimes a back stopped identity has to be created. If an enemy agent suspects the agent's background and he checks on where he works, the back stop will be good enough to fool him into thinking that his suspicions were false.
Cable from Station in Laos
Cable - A secure message.
Before there was email, the CIA used cables to communicate between Stations and HQ. Cables were condensed and concise messages, sort of like telegrams, where you are concerned about using too many words.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - The government agency responsible for overseas Intelligence gathering using Human Intelligence (HUMINT) and sometimes Electronic Intelligence (ELINT).
Central Intelligence Agency
Civil Air Transport (CAT) - An airline front company for the CIA.
The predecessor to Air America (AA) in Laos.
Code Name - Alias for an agent
Similar to an pseudonym, a code name is an alias for an agent. Code names were used when the pseudonym is not to be revealed. The double agent FBI man Robert Hanssen's code name was "Ramon". When he communicated with his KGB handlers, "Ramon" was what he was known as. Also known as Cover Name.
Company, The - Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
A common slang word used when talking around non Intelligence agents.
Cover Story - A semi plausible story to protect the true identify of the agent.
A typical cover story for an agent traveling overseas is that he is working for a company that sells electronic parts.
Forward Air Controller (FAC) - A spotter in a forward area.
They loitered in the area of the enemy, sometimes marking it with flare rockets if the FAC is airborne, so that fighters and bombers could hit their targets accurately. A highly dangerous job, especially considering that the Ravens used low and slow propeller driven aircraft.
Front Company - A legitimate company to conceal Intelligence activities.
One of the more famous front companies was Air America (AA), which at its height in Laos was the largest private airline in the world. Intelligence agencies use front companies to help provide personnel and material support to a secret operation without drawing attention to itself.
Ho Chi Minh Trail (HCMT) - A large number of trails and roads that the Communists used to supply their war effort and infiltrate.
The word trail is actually a misnomer, since the HCMT was a large network of paths, roads, and trails. The HCMT started in North Vietnam (NVN) and winded through Laos and Cambodia and into South Vietnam (SVN).
Laos - A country in Southeast Asia (SEA)
Laos is a land locked, poor country that was a springboard for CIA operations during the Vietnam War.
Map of Laos pre 1974
Merc - Short for Mercenary
A non-military person that is for hire, and that specializes in hazardous assignments. Also known as a Contractor. Usually has a military background, especially with some type of Special Forces, like Army Rangers, Green Berets, Airborne, Air Commandos, Navy SEALS, or Marine RECON. Mercenaries that were used in Laos came from a wide range of countries in SEA.
Microdot - A miniature picture the size of the head of a pin.
Microdots are shrunken pictures that can be transported underneath a postage stamp on a letter. The agent receiving the microdots has a microdot viewer that enlarges the picture so that it is readable. Microdots can also be hidden in-between the layers of a book binding and any where else that one can imagine.
Microdot Viewer
Microfilm - Very small picture film.
Microfilm can be used in miniature cameras and easily transported or concealed. A Minox is a type of microfilm camera.
Minox Camera
National Security Agency (NSA) - The government agency tasked with making codes, breaking foreign government codes, and intercepting Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Photographic Intelligence (PHOTINT), and Communications Intelligence (COMINT) overseas. The technical term for codes is cryptography. They are also involved in Information Systems Security (INFOSEC), to help protect U.S. government computer systems from foreign governments.
National Security Agency
NVA - North Vietnamese Army
The formal Communist forces of North Vietnam. They had actual uniforms and had formal military formations and training. This is in contrast to the VC which did not have official uniforms and formations.
NVN - North Vietnam
PL - Pathet Lao
The Communist Laotians who fought against the CIA and American friendly forces. Contrary to what you read on the Internet, The PL did not win the war in Laos, they took over by default after we withdrew at the end of the Vietnam war.
Pseudonym - A fake name and identity
When an agent is in the field, many times he has one or more pseudonyms that he uses. A pseudonym within the Intelligence world is written LAST NAME, first name, with the last name in all caps. The reason for this is that when you are reading a document that has names in it, you know if it is a true name or a pseudonym.
Ravens, The - An unofficial group of pilots that served in Laos
They flew high risk missions in Laos to rescue downed pilots of AA and CAT, do surveillance of the HCMT, and acted as Forward Air Controllers (FAC) so that fighters and bombers could hit their targets accurately. All the members of the Ravens were sheep dipped, for plausible deniability.
Raven FAC Homepage
SEA - Southeast Asia
Includes Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia.
Secret War - The undeclared war in Laos
The so called "Secret War" in Laos was the CIA's attempt to disrupt and harass the PL, NVA, and VC.
Secret War in Laos
Secret Writing - Methods of concealing messages in plain sight
Agents in the field use secret writing to communicate with other agents. Typically secret writing uses some sort of gimmick to conceal the message, like an invisible ink. The hidden message is written in the margins of an ordinary letter and then sent to the agent of choice. The receiving agent has a chemical that he wipes on the letter to reveal the secret message.
Sheep Dipped - Change of job or duties
Sometimes agents change jobs to other non-intelligence agencies or military assignments so that they cannot be traced back to their source agency.
Spook - Intelligence agent.
Any intelligence agent like a CIA agent.
Sterilized - Non traceable back to the source agency.
Many times weapons and airplanes have their serial numbers removed or paperwork "lost" so that they are not traceable back to the source agency. The CIA also purchased material from the open market using front companies so that it could not be traced back.
SVN - South Vietnam
Tradecraft - The methods and techniques of Intelligence agents.
For example, surveillance of an enemy agent is a tradecraft.
True Name - The actual real name of the agent
True names are a closely guarded secret and therefore pseudonyms and code names are used extensively to protect it. It is standard procedure to never write the true name and the pseudonym or and code name in the same message or memo. This is done in case an enemy agency intercepts and decodes the message, they will not be able to connect the dots unless they have both messages.
TSD - Technical Services Division of the CIA
The division of the CIA that created many of the gadgets for field agents.
VC - Viet Cong
The irregular Communist forces in and around Vietnam. Many wore black pajamas and operated only at night. This contrasts with the NVA which had uniforms and operated like a formal army. Many of the VC were farmers during the day, and then conducted military raids during the night. The movies blur the line between VC and NVA, but they were very different in how they operated but with the same objective.
Paint
Paint
Home Improvement Agency Style
In about 1972, the house in Plano Texas that we were living in needed some painting done on the interior. What made this more complicated was that some of the old paint in the house was going to stay, so he had to match the old paint exactly. But I hear you saying, so what? Use the color-matching computer at the paint department. Mind you this is 1972 and there is no such animal. So my Dad went to the hardware store and bought several cans of paint.
When he came home, he meticulously painted just selected parts of the interior of the house. If you know anything about paint, it is that the color you buy is not the color when dry. So back then, you had to eyeball the colors and guess. Except in my Dad's case, he cheated. The new paint when dry matched the old paint exactly.
I asked him how the heck he did that with any hesitation. He said that when he planted bugs and transmitters in the walls of Embassies and Consulates, the Agency provided them with this very cool quick drying plaster and paint kit. He was trained in how to use this kit proficiently. He learned how to match paint colors with his eyeball so that when the patch on the wall or ceiling dried, it would not reveal that someone had burrowed a hole and hid something there. If there were the slightest hint that someone had altered something in the Embassy, his project would have been compromised. So the paint and plaster matching had to be exact.
Tim Allen, eat your heart out.
Home Improvement Agency Style
In about 1972, the house in Plano Texas that we were living in needed some painting done on the interior. What made this more complicated was that some of the old paint in the house was going to stay, so he had to match the old paint exactly. But I hear you saying, so what? Use the color-matching computer at the paint department. Mind you this is 1972 and there is no such animal. So my Dad went to the hardware store and bought several cans of paint.
When he came home, he meticulously painted just selected parts of the interior of the house. If you know anything about paint, it is that the color you buy is not the color when dry. So back then, you had to eyeball the colors and guess. Except in my Dad's case, he cheated. The new paint when dry matched the old paint exactly.
I asked him how the heck he did that with any hesitation. He said that when he planted bugs and transmitters in the walls of Embassies and Consulates, the Agency provided them with this very cool quick drying plaster and paint kit. He was trained in how to use this kit proficiently. He learned how to match paint colors with his eyeball so that when the patch on the wall or ceiling dried, it would not reveal that someone had burrowed a hole and hid something there. If there were the slightest hint that someone had altered something in the Embassy, his project would have been compromised. So the paint and plaster matching had to be exact.
Tim Allen, eat your heart out.
Resistors
Resistors
Resistors anyone?
One day in Texas I was working on a computer project for a customer. They wanted me to get their accounting software to run on two different Apple II computers at the same time. The only snafu was that the software had a hardware chip that had to be plugged into the game port of the Apple II in order to activate the software. And the customer only had one hardware chip from the software vendor.
So the customer asked me to investigate how to "clone" or copy this chip for them. I did some research and found out that the hardware chip was very simple. It was merely a plastic socket with two resistors soldered onto specific pins in the socket. If I could find another socket and the two resistors, and then solder them in the right place, I could duplicate the hardware chip.
I went to Radio Shack with my short shopping list in hand. They had all the parts, but it took awhile for the salesman and me to find the right resistors. If you know nothing about resistors, they are little tiny plastic looking devices with wires coming out both ends, looking like a brown piece of rice. They have colored stripes on them; each combination of stripes means different things. Since the permutations of possible color code combinations are more than most people can memorize, ordinary people use an electronics book look up table to figure it out or some Internet Web sites have resistor calculation programs.
For example, Black, Brown, Brown, Silver is 10 ohms, +/-10%. There are ten colors, with the first three positions being any of the ten color combinations, and the last position is either silver or gold. Needless to say, the Radio Shack salesman used the electronics book to look up the color codes, verifying that I was purchasing the correct resistors.
I went to my Dad's apartment with parts in hand. I had watched him for hours in the garage, soldering things. I remember the distinct pungent odor of melting solder, and his skillful hands making short work of an electronics project. Since I did not own a soldering gun, I knew that he would have several. When I arrived and showed him what I wanted to do, he got that gleam in his eye once again. He jumped right into helping me, without a complaint. He setup a work area with an old towel on his kitchen table, soldering gun warming up, and other tools on standby. He took one glance at my two resistors and said what ohms and +/- they were.
I was dumbfounded. I asked if he saw the receipt and read what they were from there. He said no, that he had learned how to read the color codes. I just sat there, marveling at this unseen talent that my Father possessed. I know that other electronic whizzes can do the same, but heck, this was my Dad, and the Agency trained him well.
Resistors anyone?
One day in Texas I was working on a computer project for a customer. They wanted me to get their accounting software to run on two different Apple II computers at the same time. The only snafu was that the software had a hardware chip that had to be plugged into the game port of the Apple II in order to activate the software. And the customer only had one hardware chip from the software vendor.
So the customer asked me to investigate how to "clone" or copy this chip for them. I did some research and found out that the hardware chip was very simple. It was merely a plastic socket with two resistors soldered onto specific pins in the socket. If I could find another socket and the two resistors, and then solder them in the right place, I could duplicate the hardware chip.
I went to Radio Shack with my short shopping list in hand. They had all the parts, but it took awhile for the salesman and me to find the right resistors. If you know nothing about resistors, they are little tiny plastic looking devices with wires coming out both ends, looking like a brown piece of rice. They have colored stripes on them; each combination of stripes means different things. Since the permutations of possible color code combinations are more than most people can memorize, ordinary people use an electronics book look up table to figure it out or some Internet Web sites have resistor calculation programs.
For example, Black, Brown, Brown, Silver is 10 ohms, +/-10%. There are ten colors, with the first three positions being any of the ten color combinations, and the last position is either silver or gold. Needless to say, the Radio Shack salesman used the electronics book to look up the color codes, verifying that I was purchasing the correct resistors.
I went to my Dad's apartment with parts in hand. I had watched him for hours in the garage, soldering things. I remember the distinct pungent odor of melting solder, and his skillful hands making short work of an electronics project. Since I did not own a soldering gun, I knew that he would have several. When I arrived and showed him what I wanted to do, he got that gleam in his eye once again. He jumped right into helping me, without a complaint. He setup a work area with an old towel on his kitchen table, soldering gun warming up, and other tools on standby. He took one glance at my two resistors and said what ohms and +/- they were.
I was dumbfounded. I asked if he saw the receipt and read what they were from there. He said no, that he had learned how to read the color codes. I just sat there, marveling at this unseen talent that my Father possessed. I know that other electronic whizzes can do the same, but heck, this was my Dad, and the Agency trained him well.
Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby
Do your mercenaries accept cash?
After his retirement from the Agency, my Dad lived in a variety of apartments in North Dallas. One day I took my paycheck to the bank and got all cash, in small denominations. It was not much money back then but it was still cool to have that much cash in my pocket. I happen to visit my dad at his apartment and wanted to show off. So I revealed my small pile of cash. He got this sudden gleam in his eye and helpfully and carefully counted the bills one by one, until the stack was all counted. Then he did the count again. The gleam in his eye was unnatural. I asked him “what was up”?
He finally admitted that it reminded him of the pile of money he saw in Laos. The COS (Chief of Station) Vientiane Laos had one million dollars in his safe of twenty dollar bills. Mind you this was 1968, so one million dollars would go a long way. I could see some Agency man with the temptation to grab the money and disappear and live like a King. He would use his Agency training to escape detection. I am sure that temptation occurred to more than a few. But since the Agency did a good job of screening their candidates, most Agency men would never even consider turning against the Agency or their country. Then my Dad said that when he went on an Agency covert operation, they were given a large sum of cash to operate with, usually a large stack of twenty dollar bills. So his explained why my Dad repeatedly counted of my small stack of bills. It brought back memories of covert operations gone by.
Do your mercenaries accept cash?
After his retirement from the Agency, my Dad lived in a variety of apartments in North Dallas. One day I took my paycheck to the bank and got all cash, in small denominations. It was not much money back then but it was still cool to have that much cash in my pocket. I happen to visit my dad at his apartment and wanted to show off. So I revealed my small pile of cash. He got this sudden gleam in his eye and helpfully and carefully counted the bills one by one, until the stack was all counted. Then he did the count again. The gleam in his eye was unnatural. I asked him “what was up”?
He finally admitted that it reminded him of the pile of money he saw in Laos. The COS (Chief of Station) Vientiane Laos had one million dollars in his safe of twenty dollar bills. Mind you this was 1968, so one million dollars would go a long way. I could see some Agency man with the temptation to grab the money and disappear and live like a King. He would use his Agency training to escape detection. I am sure that temptation occurred to more than a few. But since the Agency did a good job of screening their candidates, most Agency men would never even consider turning against the Agency or their country. Then my Dad said that when he went on an Agency covert operation, they were given a large sum of cash to operate with, usually a large stack of twenty dollar bills. So his explained why my Dad repeatedly counted of my small stack of bills. It brought back memories of covert operations gone by.
Vientiane Laos, Land of Elephants
Vientiane Laos
Land of Elephants
Laos is a land locked, poor country that was a springboard for CIA operations during the Vietnam War. The Agency built the largest private airline in the world to support the “Secret War”. That airline was called Air America (AA). It predecessor was Civil Air Transport (CAT) Airlines. The Agency also hired and supplied a mercenary army of about 30,000 troops and used them to attack and harass the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail (HCMT) and the Communist troops that used Laos and Cambodia as a sanctuary. The Communists recruited indigenous people of Laos and they were called Pathet Lao (PL). The country of Laos is approximated the size of Utah and is mostly mountains and plateaus. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season from May to November and the dry season from December to April. It floods about 6 feet every seven years, so the local villagers build their huts on 9-10 foot stilts.
We were stationed in Vientiane, the capital, for two long years, from 1968-1969. This time period was the height of the battles, B-52 bombings, and misery in Southeast Asia (SEA).
For an excellent article about Air America (AA) in Laos, please click on this link Supporting the "Secret War": CIA Air Operations in Laos, 1955-1974. This article on the CIA web site by William M. Leary, in the Studies in Intelligence section, gives an informative history of Air America (AA) and its predecessor Civil Air Transport (CAT).
Map of Laos pre 1974
Two other interesting web sites are Secret War in Laos and Air America Homepage
Land of Elephants
Laos is a land locked, poor country that was a springboard for CIA operations during the Vietnam War. The Agency built the largest private airline in the world to support the “Secret War”. That airline was called Air America (AA). It predecessor was Civil Air Transport (CAT) Airlines. The Agency also hired and supplied a mercenary army of about 30,000 troops and used them to attack and harass the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail (HCMT) and the Communist troops that used Laos and Cambodia as a sanctuary. The Communists recruited indigenous people of Laos and they were called Pathet Lao (PL). The country of Laos is approximated the size of Utah and is mostly mountains and plateaus. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season from May to November and the dry season from December to April. It floods about 6 feet every seven years, so the local villagers build their huts on 9-10 foot stilts.
We were stationed in Vientiane, the capital, for two long years, from 1968-1969. This time period was the height of the battles, B-52 bombings, and misery in Southeast Asia (SEA).
For an excellent article about Air America (AA) in Laos, please click on this link Supporting the "Secret War": CIA Air Operations in Laos, 1955-1974. This article on the CIA web site by William M. Leary, in the Studies in Intelligence section, gives an informative history of Air America (AA) and its predecessor Civil Air Transport (CAT).
Map of Laos pre 1974
Two other interesting web sites are Secret War in Laos and Air America Homepage
Saturday, December 17, 2005
The Garage Door
Security is an illusion
He forgot his keys. There we were, sitting in the car, looking at a locked house and garage door. Our driveway at the Plano Texas house was in the back and it led up to the two-car garage. But my conscientious Dad that secured the house every time we left had locked it. Except this time I was sure that he had done himself in.
He was his own worst enemy.
Once he discovered that he had no house keys on him, he walked up to the garage door, removed something from his shirt pocket, bent down just slightly, and inserted something into garage door lock. About 8 seconds later, the handle turned and the garage door slid up at his fingertips. I was dumbfounded. How did he open the garage without a key? He finally told me.
He habitually carried a open ended leather comb case with a metal comb in his shirt pocket. But next to the metal comb was two lock picks and a tension bar. The metal comb kept the picks from getting bent and held the picks in the case. Turns out that he could open most American locks with just two types of picks and a tension bar. I asked how he picked the lock so fast. He said that the U.S. Treasury had trained him as an ATF agent to pick locks and that the Agency gave him even further training. He had picked thousands of locks over the years and many different types.
It was as natural to him to pick a lock as it was for me to turn a doorknob and walk in a room. And I had seen many movies and TV shows by that time that showed spies and criminals picking locks by crouching down and looking into the keyway as they picked. I asked why he did not do that crouching method. He said that he was trained to walk up to a door and pick it in the same amount of time and appearance as if he had a key. He could feel the pins in the keyway with the pick and manipulate them at will. Most good locksmiths can pick locks but not in such an innocuous manner. When he was in the field, he did not want to give even the hint that he was picking a lock, because he would have drawn unnecessary attention to himself.
I asked the next logical question, were the lock picks illegal to own for a private citizen that was not a locksmith? His answer was yes, but then he said how often would a police officer search his comb case since he had a clean criminal history and would not give the officer any reason to search him. Besides, his law degree from the University of Minnesota came in handy when debating legal issues with law enforcement officers.
He forgot his keys. There we were, sitting in the car, looking at a locked house and garage door. Our driveway at the Plano Texas house was in the back and it led up to the two-car garage. But my conscientious Dad that secured the house every time we left had locked it. Except this time I was sure that he had done himself in.
He was his own worst enemy.
Once he discovered that he had no house keys on him, he walked up to the garage door, removed something from his shirt pocket, bent down just slightly, and inserted something into garage door lock. About 8 seconds later, the handle turned and the garage door slid up at his fingertips. I was dumbfounded. How did he open the garage without a key? He finally told me.
He habitually carried a open ended leather comb case with a metal comb in his shirt pocket. But next to the metal comb was two lock picks and a tension bar. The metal comb kept the picks from getting bent and held the picks in the case. Turns out that he could open most American locks with just two types of picks and a tension bar. I asked how he picked the lock so fast. He said that the U.S. Treasury had trained him as an ATF agent to pick locks and that the Agency gave him even further training. He had picked thousands of locks over the years and many different types.
It was as natural to him to pick a lock as it was for me to turn a doorknob and walk in a room. And I had seen many movies and TV shows by that time that showed spies and criminals picking locks by crouching down and looking into the keyway as they picked. I asked why he did not do that crouching method. He said that he was trained to walk up to a door and pick it in the same amount of time and appearance as if he had a key. He could feel the pins in the keyway with the pick and manipulate them at will. Most good locksmiths can pick locks but not in such an innocuous manner. When he was in the field, he did not want to give even the hint that he was picking a lock, because he would have drawn unnecessary attention to himself.
I asked the next logical question, were the lock picks illegal to own for a private citizen that was not a locksmith? His answer was yes, but then he said how often would a police officer search his comb case since he had a clean criminal history and would not give the officer any reason to search him. Besides, his law degree from the University of Minnesota came in handy when debating legal issues with law enforcement officers.
The Light
Concealment is a good friend
One day my Dad bought a lounge chair recliner and put it near the built in the wall bookcase in the living room of our Plano Texas home. He placed the chair so that it was facing the fireplace. The problem was that the lighting in the house did not reach that corner of the living room adequately, so he decided to add a track light or single bulb spotlight to showcase the fireplace.
He went to the hardware store and purchased a very nice single bulb spotlight. When my Brother and I were away from the house he installed the light and did not tell anyone. When we arrived home, he sat in his recliner and said, "Look at the fireplace", which at that moment was the usual dark corner. We did not realize that he was doing a magicians misdirection trick on us. As we watched the darken corner, suddenly the fireplace bricks were awash with bright light. We looked up to the ceiling in amazement. Behind a ceiling timber near the fireplace was a concealed spot light, illuminating that dark corner. The next logical question was how did it turn on while we were standing there. My Dad just sat there with the biggest Cheshire cat grin that I have ever seen on his face. My Brother and I both ran around the room looking for the switch that turned on the light. But our search was in vain. Finally in a moment of desperation, I decided to trace the wire from the lamp to the source, but to no avail. He had concealed the wires between the ceiling and the ceiling timber. We were both totally stunned and baffled. And my Dad's face was glowing with pride. Even knowing what we looking for, we still could not find the light switch.
In 1972, technology was very space age and we just knew that he had some kind of voice activated switch or laser beam contraption. You see my Dad always went overboard when it came to electronics. Move over Tim the tool man Taylor, ha. So anyhow, my Dad would have my Brother and I look at the fireplace and zap, the light would go on or off seeming at will. As soon as the light came on or off, we would instantly glance over at Dad and he always appeared to be relaxing in his chair and not reaching for anything. But since I was an amateur magician, I knew that the hand was faster than the eye. So we had Dad get out of the chair, we took turns sitting in the chair, desperately looking and feeling around for the switch.
Nada.
By then we were hoping mad and frustrated. Were was the switch? With great flair, he sat in his chair, had us looking at him, and then he reached just a few inches, to something on the underside of the a shelf in the bookcase next to him. Click, the light on the fireplace went on. We were stunned. It was a simple toggle switch, 59 cents worth, but hours of work to conceal it. He had strategically placed the switch at arm level to his chair, attaching the switch to the underside of the self, about four inches in. At that height and depth, someone standing next to the bookcase, you would never see the switch. Standing across the room, you could not even see the switch. He ran the wire from the switch to the light through the back of the bookcase, up the wall, into the small crack between the ceiling timber and the ceiling. Not a wire was visible to the naked eye. And since the bookcase was built into the wall, we never suspected that he could have rigged it. After that little demonstration of concealment, that was just for fun, I knew that the bad guys never stood a chance when TSD did their thing.
One day my Dad bought a lounge chair recliner and put it near the built in the wall bookcase in the living room of our Plano Texas home. He placed the chair so that it was facing the fireplace. The problem was that the lighting in the house did not reach that corner of the living room adequately, so he decided to add a track light or single bulb spotlight to showcase the fireplace.
He went to the hardware store and purchased a very nice single bulb spotlight. When my Brother and I were away from the house he installed the light and did not tell anyone. When we arrived home, he sat in his recliner and said, "Look at the fireplace", which at that moment was the usual dark corner. We did not realize that he was doing a magicians misdirection trick on us. As we watched the darken corner, suddenly the fireplace bricks were awash with bright light. We looked up to the ceiling in amazement. Behind a ceiling timber near the fireplace was a concealed spot light, illuminating that dark corner. The next logical question was how did it turn on while we were standing there. My Dad just sat there with the biggest Cheshire cat grin that I have ever seen on his face. My Brother and I both ran around the room looking for the switch that turned on the light. But our search was in vain. Finally in a moment of desperation, I decided to trace the wire from the lamp to the source, but to no avail. He had concealed the wires between the ceiling and the ceiling timber. We were both totally stunned and baffled. And my Dad's face was glowing with pride. Even knowing what we looking for, we still could not find the light switch.
In 1972, technology was very space age and we just knew that he had some kind of voice activated switch or laser beam contraption. You see my Dad always went overboard when it came to electronics. Move over Tim the tool man Taylor, ha. So anyhow, my Dad would have my Brother and I look at the fireplace and zap, the light would go on or off seeming at will. As soon as the light came on or off, we would instantly glance over at Dad and he always appeared to be relaxing in his chair and not reaching for anything. But since I was an amateur magician, I knew that the hand was faster than the eye. So we had Dad get out of the chair, we took turns sitting in the chair, desperately looking and feeling around for the switch.
Nada.
By then we were hoping mad and frustrated. Were was the switch? With great flair, he sat in his chair, had us looking at him, and then he reached just a few inches, to something on the underside of the a shelf in the bookcase next to him. Click, the light on the fireplace went on. We were stunned. It was a simple toggle switch, 59 cents worth, but hours of work to conceal it. He had strategically placed the switch at arm level to his chair, attaching the switch to the underside of the self, about four inches in. At that height and depth, someone standing next to the bookcase, you would never see the switch. Standing across the room, you could not even see the switch. He ran the wire from the switch to the light through the back of the bookcase, up the wall, into the small crack between the ceiling timber and the ceiling. Not a wire was visible to the naked eye. And since the bookcase was built into the wall, we never suspected that he could have rigged it. After that little demonstration of concealment, that was just for fun, I knew that the bad guys never stood a chance when TSD did their thing.
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